Spirit of Rebellion
by SpaceCityBreeze
Summary: "Keep your nose out of other people's business.", "Live life like a normal student for a year and get that Assault off your record." That was what Akira Kurusu had been told. Fate had different ideas. What was perceived as the end is a new beginning, and life will change. Eventual Akira/Makoto
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Kindred Spirits

* * *

Akira's mind was racing. Palaces? Shadows? Talking cat monsters? It seemed fate itself was working to prevent him from keeping a low profile.

" _Do you regret your decision?"_ A disembodied voice echoed through his head. Arsene.

He remembered the helplessness he had felt just moments before to what he thought would be the end of his life. His new-found strength, _Persona_.

Akira never wanted to feel that way again. 'No,' he thought, he could never turn his back on someone in need, regardless of the consequences. Plus, he thought, a smirk forming, _it had felt good_. Society wanted to chain him down, but there was no way that was going to stop him from doing what he thought was right.

An outburst from Ryuji broke him out of his thoughts: "Hey we made it back! The hell was all that about?!" It seemed they had been brought back to the entrance of the alley. The morning's rain was all but gone, a faint chill in the air the only indication of its passing. 'Shit,' Akira's eyes widened as he scanned the surrounding area. Adults around complained idly about the rough morning and the brief respite of a lunch break. They were late to school. _Really_ late.

"Oi! You there! Are you Shujin students skipping class?"

Akira let out a sigh. Did this guy not have any sense of restraint? This was the last thing he needed right now.

* * *

Luckily, the pair was able to reach the school gates without much fuss from the cops. Just before they entered however, Ryuji turned and glared at Akira. "Common man why didn't you back me up back there! Those effin' cops thought I was high!", he cried out exasperatedly.

"And gotten the same response you did? I am on probation you know", Akira replied curtly, twisting his bangs idly.

Ryuji's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Fer real!?"

Akira rolled his eyes. He could no longer count how many times he had seen similar reactions from people. It was then he noticed one of the Shujin guidance counselors standing at the entrance, the displeasure clear to see on his face. "We can discuss it later."

To say Akira was aggravated was an understatement. His and Ryuji's accidental excursion into the strange castle had caused him to be over half a day late on the first day. To make matters worse, somehow the student body had caught wind of his record and started spreading wild rumors. Stabbing someone if they looked him in the eye? Ridiculous. Beginning to formulate an apology to Sakura-san in his head, Akira made his way towards the School Entrance. Completely engrossed in his thoughts, Akira nearly bumped into a person in front of him. "Sorry about that," he apologized, as he moved to sidestep them. However, the person moved in front of him one again. Akira huffed in annoyance. "Uh, if you don't mind, I'm kind of in a hurry right now."

Akira began to study his would-be confronter. Right off the bat, the Shujin uniform marked her as a student, a third year. Short brown hair framed dark auburn eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. "Second year transfer student, Akira Kurusu, correct?"

Her tone and demeanor immediately put him on edge. Akira couldn't help but compare it to the crooked cops that landed him here in the first place. "Yes, and you are?"

The third year relaxed slightly. "Ah, I did not introduce myself. My apologies." The sternness returned to her face. "I'm Makoto Niijima, a third year and the Shujin student council president. I heard from one of the guidance counselors you were over half a day late, on your first day no less. Care to explain yourself?"

Akira recoiled internally. Any chance of keeping a low profile at this point was all but blown away now that the Student Council President had him in her sights. To make matters worse, the feeble excuse he gave to Kawakami definitely wouldn't work this time. He had to approach this carefully. Taking a deep breath, Akira was able to create a convincing story, citing the morning's train accident, bad weather, and his newness to Tokyo as the main cause. "…and before I knew it I was hopelessly lost. Luckily, some police officers were able to point me in the right direction", he finished smoothly.

"Hmmm, well I suppose I can overlook it for today given the circumstances. This better not become a habit though!", Makoto lectured.

Akira couldn't help but let a small smirk reach his face. Bingo. "Of course, it won't happen aga—". A sudden wave of nausea hit Akira. The surrounding hallways suddenly warped into those of Kamoshida's Castle. In the blink of an eye everything reverted to normal. "S-sorry, it seems I'm not feeling very well," his voice came out weakly, "I'm sure my care taker will want an explanation as well, may I go?"

Makoto was caught off guard in the drastic change in his disposition, but it seemed genuine. "Y-yes," she cleared her throat, "Be sure to head straight home." Akira waved over his back half-heartedly as he resumed heading towards the entrance.

Makoto was at a loss. _This_ was the delinquent transfer student that the Principal had warned her about? While Kurusu had seemed uneasy at the start of the interaction, she chalked it up to an aversion to authority figures. To make matters more perplexing, he seemed genuinely motivated not to repeat his mistake. Just who was Akira Kurusu?

* * *

Akira flopped onto his bed tiredly, the effects of his misadventure into the other world had hit him full force toward the end of his conversation with the Student Council President. _'Makoto Niijima…interesting. It seems that the spirit of rebellion lies within her heart as well'_ Arsene stated, letting out a small chuckle. 'The student council President?' Akira scoffed. 'I doubt someone like her has even considered rebelling. Hell, if anything she is the one that people at the school might rebel against.' Arsene let out another chuckle. 'Is that so? Well, I suppose time will tell.'

The slight pressure in Akira's head faded. Arsene was gone, for the moment. Staring up at the ceiling, he recounted the events of the day once more. Just what had he gotten himself into this time? Akira began tapping on his bed idly. While his home life before Tokyo was nothing to look forward to after his probation, he did miss his grandfather's old piano, the one thing that had given him solace in his old life. 'Maybe I can pick up a part time job and buy a keyboard,' Akira mused, a small smile forming on his lips. 'Oh yeah, there was that other place…the Velvet Room…that was a beautiful song…maybe I could…' Sleep claimed Akira before finishing his thought, unknowingly heading back to his Velvet Prison.

* * *

 **Whats up readers? Thanks for reading this story. I've lurked around here for a long time and can't count how many times I tried to start a story and not go through with it. Starting a story is the hardest part in my mind, so I hope by getting this out I can work towards finally contribute to a community I have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of over the years. This is my first story, and I'm sure there is a lot I can learn so please leave a comment. Thanks! - SCB**


	2. Chapter 2

Akira was awoken by the haunting melody that he had heard the night before. The paper-thin mattress. The slight rattle of chains with the slightest movement. 'Guess it wasn't just a weird dream after all,' he thought groggily.

An impatient banging erupted loudly into his ears. "Wake up inmate, our Master's words are more important than your rest!" the angry twin said. Akira couldn't remember their names, but found that he didn't really care. Two kids that were polar opposites of each other and a long-nosed old man who would refuse to answer any of his questions. Akira sighed. 'I can only imagine what Ryuji would say if I tried to explain this situation to him.' Deep rumbles began to emanate from Igor. 'Wait was that supposed to be him laughing? Creepy.'

"Hmmm, it seems you have awakened to your power, infinite potential awaits. However, it is currently very weak," Igor stated, his blank stare and wide smile never changing.

Akira bristled. "Weak? What're you trying to say old man?"

Unfazed, Igor continued on his tirade. "Your power is currently weak, but with strong allies, will be strong. Seek those who you can confide in, and your rehabilitation will continue to go smoothly."

The yell'y twin banged on his cell door again. "You can't just walk around and talk to any old shmoe. Only those who have the will to rebel will do ya any good. Got it inmate?"

Akira pondered their words. Was there any point in doing as they said? There didn't seem to be any point in going back to that bizarre world. The ring of a shrill bell startled Akira.

"Well," Igor began, "It seems it is time to return to your world. Till we meet again."

* * *

Akira slowly opened his eyes. The faintest rays of light illuminated the dusty room. Akira grabbed his phone and checked the time. 6:30. Akira's stomach rumbled. In his hurry to return to Leblanc, he had completely forgone dinner in favor of sleep. 'Well, might as well get up and fix up something to eat.' His limbs protested, likely still fatigued from the prior day's events, but his desire for food trumped his body's desire to rest.

Upon going downstairs, a rich, spicy aroma assaulted Akira's senses. His stomach groaned in anticipation. Sojiro was in the café, fixing a cup of coffee.

The older man turned to Akira, a knowing smirk on his face. "Hungry eh? Well I figured the least I could do was make you breakfast." He gestured to a seat. "Sit down, I'll fix another cup for you."

Akira promptly took his seat and eagerly grabbed a fork. He made to start eating before he looked at the food, looking back at Sojiro incredulously. "I'm not complaining or anything…but curry for breakfast?"

"It tastes good," Sojiro deadpanned. "Tastes even better if you have it with the coffee."

"Well," Akira said, bringing his hands together, "thanks for the food." He took a scoop of curry, blowing on it slightly before placing it in his mouth. Akira sat up straight in his seat in amazement. 'This stuff is amazing!'. Akira began shoveling the curry into his mouth with the fervor of a starving man. He then turned to the coffee, taking a small sip of the piping hot liquid. The low acidity and nuttiness of the brew was the perfect complement to the omnipotent curry. "That was great," Akira said, his tone more expressive than his usual aloofness. "Do you mind if I use some of the extra rice to make myself lunch?"

Sojiro blinked, surprised at the change in Akira's demeanor. "Uh, sure. Just stay away from the curry ingredients on the top shelf."

Akira nodded and moved in the kitchen. Finding a small bento box, Akira opened the rice cooker and carefully portioned out a clump before moving on to the fridge to find a suitable entre ato complete the meal.

Sojiro moved towards the stairs. "I need to go grab something from upstairs, don't burn down the place." Akira continued rummaging through the lower shelves of the fridge before finding a decent piece of pork chop. He smiled. 'Perfect.'

Sojiro sighed as he made his way back down the stairs, a wrapping cloth in his hands. He knew for a fact that he didn't carry them usually, but he had managed to find one of Futaba's old ones from middle school: a lime green cloth with cute little pandas checkered all over. "I found a cloth you can use to wrap up your lunch, it's the only one I could find. Be grateful." The smell of oil permeated from the kitchen. Curious, Sojiro walked into the kitchen to oversee his charge's work. "Pork cutlet huh? Not bad for minimum prep time. Maybe you're not just some no good kid after all."

"My parents were often gone for work early and often didn't return till midnight. Got tired of all the premade crap," Akira answered simply. He gingerly lifted the cutlet out of the frying pan before shaking it of the excess oil.

Sojiro grunted in response. "Now today you better make it to school on time, it's still pretty early so you have no excuses this time." Akira finished wrapping the cloth around the finished bento, nodding silently.

Having gotten the gist of the train transfer system the day before and not getting warped into an alternate reality, Akira got the school quickly and without incident. 'Still about twenty minutes early. Well there's not really any point in waiting out here, guess I'll head in.'

Akira found himself in the courtyard. Finding a bench, he sat down and contemplated what to do with the remaining time till class began, bento at his side. Akira rummaged through his bag for the assigned readings. 'Ryuji says the teachers like to pick on the 'problem' students with crazy quiz questions, better prepare myself.'

Akira finished the last of the material as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He looked up too see the Student Council President (Niijima if he remembered correctly), a small smile on her face. "I see you made it to school on time, and early at that. It's a pleasant surprise for a student I've had to deal with be true to their word."

Akira couldn't help but smile. If he could get the Niijima on his side, maybe his term at Shujin wouldn't be so bad. "Not bad for the new delinquent kid huh? Well to be fair I doubt Sakura-san…my guardian here would be too happy if I was late again either."

Makoto hummed in response. "Is that so?" She turned to look at the bento. Recognition crossed her features. "I-is that a Buchimaru-kun cloth wrap?" she asked, her tone somewhat apprehensive.

"Huh?" Akira started fiddling with his hair. "I guess so? It was the only one I had available." He chucked good-naturedly. "Kinda lame for a guy to have something like this huh?"

Makoto's eyes suddenly lit with passion. "Not at all! It's cute!" Akira sweat-dropped at the sudden outburst. Makoto coughed, regaining her composure. "A-anyways I wanted to ask you something about your past, if that's alright," She asked with her trademark seriousness.

Akira stiffened. This was undoubtedly about his record. Even if he told her the truth, would she believe it? Akira sighed. Trust was a give-and-take, if he wanted her to trust him, he would need to trust her as well. "I-"

He was interrupted by the first bell of the day. Unperturbed, Makoto offered a small smile. "Well we can talk about it some other time. We should get to our classes. It wouldn't do to get to school early, only to be late to class."

Inwardly, Akira was relieved. Ryuji was also on his case about his record, and he doubted he would be getting out of that so easily. 'For now, the less people who know, the better.' Akira grabbed his bag and with further thought, opted to store the Bento inside before heading to class.

* * *

The final bell had finally rung. The day's events for Akira were...interesting to say the least. Thanks to his morning prep, he had managed to answer Ushimaru-Sensei's question about philosophy correctly. At lunch, his classmates continued to gossip about him. The girl clamored on about his perceived knowledge and a few even discussed asking him for his notes. That, he could handle; the guys picked up on something else. One of them had seen his bento wrap and decided to start a new rumor.

"Woah, do you think Kurusu swings the other way?"

"Probably right?! I mean didn't he go to prison?"

"Hope I don't run into him in the showers!"

Luckily one withering glare was all it took to shut them up, but it was vexing nonetheless. Akira made his way to the stairwell, where Ryuji was waiting. "Sup dude! Woah, what's with that look on your face? Whatever, let's head to the beef bowl shop at central, my treat." He slung his arm around Akira's shoulder.

Akira put his hand to his face. He had trouble dealing with care-free people like Ryuji. "Alright, lead the way." As they made their way past the gate, a certain student council was watching. Makoto was once again exasperated. Record aside, Kurusu seemed like a quiet, respectful student. Why was he hanging out with someone like Sakamoto? She made to follow them when one of her fellow student council members called out to her.

"Ah, Niijima-san! Looks like I was able to catch you before you left. I have some club forms I need you to sign."

Investigating would have to wait until another day.

* * *

Akira slowly told Ryuji of the events leading to his arrest. Ryuji, as always, made a scene. "DUDE! Are you effin' serious?!" He exclaimed rising out of seat.

"Mind keeping it down," Akira hissed, "I'd rather the whole restaurant not figure out about my whole life story." He took a calming breath. "Let's finish eating, and get out of here."

Ryuji flinched, his demeanor changing to that of a kicked puppy. "S-sorry about that." He picked up his bowl and dumped the remaining contents in mouth. He looked over to Akira's bowl, which was still roughly half full. His smile quickly returned. "Come on man eat up! By the way, I heard about a certain transfer student talking to the student council president." Ryuji stated, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"She chewed me out for being late yesterday, same as you I bet." Akira deadpanned.

"Yeah," Ryuji continued, unfazed, "but that was YESTERDAY. I heard you two were talking this morning too!"

"She just was happy that I wasn't late again, and that I kept my word." Akira summarized, "Oh and basically said she liked my wrapping cloth I used for my bento. She did get kinda flustered about it which was …" Akira hoped he wouldn't regret saying this, "cute."

"Seriously?! The uptight Miss Prez? Can't picture that at all. So…" he wrapped his arm around Akira conspiratorially, "that's the kind of girl you like huh?"

Akira sighed defeated. 'Knew I shouldn't have said that.'


End file.
